HYDERABAD: Defying mounting pressure from state party leadership, outgoing Forest and Endowments Minister Konda Surekha struck a fiercely combative stance today following Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s formal recommendation to drop her from the Telangana Council of Ministers. Responding to the Chief Minister’s move, Surekha categorically declared that she had done nothing wrong and openly challenged the party high command.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) dispatched the recommendation for her cabinet removal to Governor Jishnu Dev Varma following a high-profile disciplinary row triggered by public remarks made by Surekha’s daughter, Konda Sushmitha Patel, against CM Revanth Reddy and Parkal MLA Revuri Prakash Reddy.
Defiance and Warning of BC Backlash
Addressing media channels shortly after news of the CMO’s recommendation broke, Surekha refused to offer a resignation, maintaining that taking action against a minister for her adult child’s independent views was an act of political persecution.
“I have served the party faithfully and performed my duties as a minister without a single trace of corruption,” Surekha asserted. “Demanding an explanation from me or holding me political hostage for opinions expressed independently by my family member violates natural justice. I have done nothing wrong, and I will not be pressured into resigning.”
Taking aim at the Chief Minister and the state party leadership, Surekha warned of severe political consequences among Backward Class (BC) communities if her removal is formalized. She claimed that a deliberate conspiracy was at play within a section of the state Congress to target senior BC leaders.
“If disciplinary action is being forced upon me for comments I didn’t even make, then the leadership should apply those exact same standards across the board,” Surekha stated, suggesting that similar scrutiny be directed toward the Chief Minister’s own public statements.
Failed Interventions in New Delhi
Surekha’s public defiance follows a flurry of high-stakes political lobbying in the national capital. In the days leading up to the Chief Minister’s decision, Surekha traveled to New Delhi and Bengaluru to present her case directly to AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge.
While presenting her side, Surekha argued that she had never personally issued any derogatory statements against Revanth Reddy or the Congress party line. However, party sources indicate that the AICC leadership supported the TPCC Disciplinary Committee’s findings. Kharge reportedly informed her that open public criticism of a sitting Chief Minister and unilateral declarations regarding electoral tickets crossed party discipline limits.
Despite being denied an audience with AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, Surekha had remained firm, challenging the party to take formal action rather than forcing her voluntary exit.
With Chief Minister Revanth Reddy having formally executed the TPCC Disciplinary Committee’s recommendations, all eyes now rest on Raj Bhavan for the Governor’s official notification. Meanwhile, the Konda family’s open defiance signals the potential opening of a contentious political front within the Warangal belt and among state Congress BC factions.
